Doan Tinh, Leach Liana, Strazdins Lyndall
College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, ACT Canberra, Acton, 2601, Australia.
Arch Womens Ment Health. 2024 Nov 18. doi: 10.1007/s00737-024-01535-0.
Quality sleep is vital for good health. Although it is known that workhours affect sleep quality, it is not known at what point workhours begin to compromise sleep. Few studies consider workhours in the 'other job' (domestic and care work) or address reverse causality between sleep quality and how long people work. This study aimed to estimate the point at which weekly workhours harm sleep, among employed Australians aged 25-64.
Using Australian data (19,453 observations from 9,826 adults assessed 2013, 2017, and 2021), a maximum likelihood instrumental variable approach modelled the influence of domestic and care hours on workhours and then the effect of workhours on sleep. We tested for a non-linear pattern and a potential tipping point or limit at which sleep quality declines. Sleep quality scores were constructed from sleep duration (hours), quality rating, medications, and problems with onset.
We estimated a population tipping point of 42 workhours per week, beyond which sleep quality deteriorated. Notably, women demonstrated a lower tipping point (36 h) beyond which their sleep quality deteriorated compared to men (47 h), likely linked to their greater care and domestic workhours in the home.
Our methods allowed us to specify the point at which weekly workhours were optimal for sleep quality and the point beyond which they become harmful. By considering unequal hours worked in care and domestic work, we were able to identify distinct gender differences in this relationship.
优质睡眠对健康至关重要。虽然已知工作时长会影响睡眠质量，但尚不清楚工作时长从何时开始损害睡眠。很少有研究考虑“其他工作”（家务和护理工作）中的工作时长，或探讨睡眠质量与人们工作时长之间的反向因果关系。本研究旨在估计25至64岁的澳大利亚在职人员中，每周工作时长对睡眠造成损害的临界点。
利用澳大利亚的数据（2013年、2017年和2021年对9826名成年人进行评估得到的19453条观察数据），采用最大似然工具变量法，模拟家务和护理时长对工作时长的影响，进而模拟工作时长对睡眠的影响。我们测试了睡眠质量下降的非线性模式以及潜在的临界点或极限。睡眠质量得分由睡眠时间（小时）、质量评级、药物使用情况和入睡问题构建而成。
我们估计每周工作时长的总体临界点为42小时，超过这个时长睡眠质量就会恶化。值得注意的是，女性的临界点较低（36小时），超过这个时长她们的睡眠质量就会比男性（47小时）恶化，这可能与她们在家中承担更多的护理和家务工作时长有关。
我们的方法使我们能够确定每周工作时长对睡眠质量而言何时是最佳的，以及超过何时会变得有害。通过考虑护理和家务工作中工作时长的不平等，我们能够识别出这种关系中明显的性别差异。
